3rd Wing - History - Elmendorf Air Force Base

Elmendorf Air Force Base

With the reassignment, to Alaska, the wing was also redesigned as the 3d Wing and was realigned to the multi-mission objective wing concept.

On assignment to Elmendorf AFB, the 3rd Wing gained the 43rd and 54th Fighter Squadrons and reunited with the 90th Fighter Squadron. The 90th Fighter Squadron, on arrival on Elmendorf AFB, had been equipped with the McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. It provided the only Air Force long-range interdiction capability in the Pacific Theater. The other two squadrons were equipped with the F-15C Eagle, and provided an air superiority not only Alaska but also for other worldwide locations.

The 3rd Wing further gained in capability with the assignment of the Lockheed C-130H Hercules equipped 517th Airlift Squadron on April 1992 and the 962d Airborne Air Control Squadron and its two Boeing E-3B Sentry aircraft on 1 October 1992. The 3d Wing provided a composite force that could be rapidly deployed worldwide, which it quickly began to prove. The wing also participated in the Cope Thunder exercise series, which had been moved from Clark Air Base to Eielson AFB in the early 1990s.

On 1 January 1994, the 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron was inactivated and the 19th Tactical Fighter Squadron activated, inheriting the personnel and equipment of the former. In an action symbolizing the transition from the Cold War to a broader worldwide responsibility, the 3rd Wing, on 29 April 1994, ended the last 24-hour air defense alert requirement at King Salmon Airport. The forward operating bases at King Salmon and Galena reverted to contractor operations and were placed in a standby mode.

The wing's mission shifted to providing trained and equipped forces for deployment throughout the Pacific Region, as reflected by the motto at the front gate "Top Cover and Global Engagement." By 1995, the 3rd Wing's fighter capability had gained recognition throughout the Air Force. The 54th Fighter Squadron made the first operational deployment outside of Alaska when it deployed eight F-15Cs and 90 plus personnel to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in support of Operation Provide Comfort. They departed on 8 April and returned on 17 July 1995. Only six months later the 90th Fighter Squadron deployed 8 F-15Es and 190 personnel to Aviano Air Base, Italy, in support of Operation Deny Flight/Joint Endeavor. Other deployments continued on an almost routine basis, involving not only the fighter squadrons but 517th Airlift Squadron and the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron. In early 1999, the Air Force recognized the 3rd Wing as the number three of ten lead Air Expeditionary Wings with a commitment of deploy.

The 3rd Wing also engaged in an exchange program with the Russian Air Force. The wing hosted a visit of 40 Russian air defense personnel and 4 SU-27s in 1995, and in turn visited Russia the next year with four F-15s.

Today, the 3d Wing continues to grow in size and importance because of its strategic location and training facilities. It deploys and employs assigned aircraft worldwide to accomplish air superiority, air interdiction, tactical airlift, airborne air surveillance, theater resupply, passenger service and served as host unit for all Elmemdorf AFB organizations.

During 2004, fulfilled Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) taskings in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.